Apparatus for playing a board game involving political strategy



Oct. 21, 1969 w. F. DAY 3,473,809

APPARATUS FOR PLAYING A BOARD GAME INVOLVING POLITICAL STRATEGY Filed Nov. 21, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet l OOO'OIs I11!!! AGENCIES BHNBABH 'IVNHELLNI LABOR l6 UNIONS FIG].

INVENTOR. WILLIAM 1''. [M Y ATTORNEYS Oct. 21, 1969 w. F. DAY 3,473,309

APPARATUS FOR PLAYING A BOARD GAME INVOLVING POLITICAL STRATEGY Filed NOV. 21, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 C A 01 C530 ARMY NAVY PUBLIC I0, 000 2 AIRCRAFT CONTROL or FOOD, CLOTHING Y TROOPS CARRIERS rnnsunv Anus ncramzs 2 cournol. or

B7 5816 eu/vs CARRIERS 20 GRO ND T0 I0 MISSLE I0 IISQLE SILOS m anounn HISILB canrnm. or

20 GROUND T0 IO IIISBLE NISSLE All HISLES C'IIIIEI! FACTOR!!! IO CRUSIES 10,000 UNTRAINID H 15 MOTOR-5 m CHILDREN I 9 73 7500 UPI/FORMED UUEIILLA! rloaps 8 L N a 2 MILITIA CRJFT Requiremenfs for COUP I Class I Card I Class H or 1H Card Class E? or 17 Card INVENTOR.

WILLIAM F. DA Y m g a ATTORNEYS 3,473,809 APPARATUS FGR PLAYiNG A BOARD GAME INVOLVING PGLHTICAL S'IRA'I'EGY William F. Day, New York, N.Y. (1265 Washington St, San Francisco, Calif. 94108) Filed Nov. 21, 1966, Ser. No. 595,883 int. Cl. A63f 3/02 US. Cl. 273-134 3 Claims ABSTRACT F TIE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for playing a strategical game including a board having rectangular spaces, with a larger, central space across which the game pieces may not move, unless a player becomes a dictator, which is accomplished by his having a certain number of cards of certain classes representative of power assets of the country, such as relating to the Army, the Navy, control of the Treasury, arms factories, armories, missile factories, guerrillas, etc. A tally card showing the requirements for a player becoming a dictator has indicia identical with those on the power asset cards. The power asset cards are obtained through purchase by money, which is obtained by the player landing on certain marked spaces on the game board, or by drawing cards from stacks corresponding to other spaces on which a game piece may land, said other spaces bearing labels, such as Press, Market, Labor Unions, Internal Revenue, Credit Agencies, etc. An additional card is provided which permits another player to exile the dictator. The game pieces are advanced around the board by each player, in turn, throwing a die.

This invention relates to games of the type wherein, through selected sequences of plays, and with a little luck, one player can obtain an advantageous position over other players to ultimately win the game.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved game of the above type but of enhanced versatility and flexibility.

Another object of the invention is to provide a game having interesting sequences of plays With varying degrees of complexity sufiicient to hold the attention and interest of a group of players.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved game of the above type wherein the factors and mechanics of play relate to hypothetical events and political situations reminiscent of events which actually occur in contemporary political situations and as such provide an educational feature for the players of the game.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved game of the above type wherein the mechanics of play are based on events suggestive of realistic, current situations so that the players cannot fail to increase their educational background and understanding of current events by playing the game.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in a novel and improved game, combinations of apparatus and components which are adapted to permit an effective play of the game according to fixed sets of rules or according to other sets of rules which may be varied as desired by the players.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, all of which more fully hereinafter appear, the invention comprises certain combinations, constructions, arrangements States Patent 0 Patented Oct. 21, 1969 ICC of parts and elements as hereinafter described, defined in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a game board marked off in a manner suitable and desirable for eifecting a play of the game;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a typical playing piece on a somewhat enlarged scale compared with that of the playing board illustrated at FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a pair of dice as used in the play of the game;

FIG. 4 is a an isometric view of a stack of rectangular cards designated to represent money or any suitable value indication;

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of another stack of cards, each being representative of certain values to be acquired in the play of the game;

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of yet another stack of cards representative of the fortunes and events which may occur to a player during the play of the game;

FIG. 7 is a face view of a tally card marked and arranged to guide the players in their course of play; and

FIG. 8 is an isometric view of a card container of a type suitable for sequential drawing of selected classes of cards placed therein in a random manner, with a portion of the box being removed to show the interior construction thereof.

The present invention was developed through a recognition of the mechanics of factual and satirical situations of governmental entities throughout the world. A number of minor governments are always in danger of being taken over by power groups within their own countries, usually because the government itself is inept, weak and corrupt. Also, such takeovers by power groups of dictators are often possible because of the indifference or even active assistance of the people of the country. When events occur to bring about a take-over of a country by a dictator or a power group, there is usually, at least at first, a number of individuals or groups vying with each other for the questionable honor of running the government. The techniques and methods used by such would-be dictators have no relation to persuasion and resort to lawful elections, but more often involve resort to bribery, group control, exile and even assassination of competitors. While the mechanics of these operations of taking over a country may vary in detail, they do follow certain general patterns. A would-be dictator will endeavor to gain control of certain blocks of the countrys economy, certain socially powerful organizations such as labor unions, and even the armed forces or portions, thereof. Regardless of the manner in which such control is gained, as by persuation or force, and usually through expenditures of large sums of money, once such control is gained, the would-be dictator may recoup even larger sums of money through devious practices which might be generally referred to as extortion.

Often such events will occur almost as if they were stereotyped, and even though the action may sometimes become fantastic and unbelievable, it will follow a somewhat regular, predictable pattern. All this is the basis for the present invention, a game playable through the creation of a series of events, which are partly fortuitous and partly controlled by the player, wherein a number of players vie to bring about a coup against the other players in an attempt to gain dictatorial power in a hypothetical country and in the play of the game to either assassinate or exile the other players as will be hereinafter described.

To better understand this invention and its components which permit a game of this type to be played, there will be first set forth a description of the apparatus which is required to play the game and then a description of a preferred mode for playing the game.

Referring to the drawings, the game is best played upon a board B of a selected size which is subdivided into a substantial number of individual square spaces 10. In the board illustrated at FIG. 1 the division is based on a 28- row, 28-column pattern of squares for a possible total of 784 squares. However, this number is reduced by blocked-out portions on the board. Certain blocked-out portions of four or eight squares are located on this board B. To begin with, a block 11 is provided as a starting area. Other blocks represent special economic factors to be encountered in the play of the game, such as Press 12, Credit Agencies 13, Market 14, Internal Revenue 15, and Labor Unions 16. Still other blocked-out portions of similar sizes are disposed about the board to represent events to enhance a players fortune such as an Inheritance 16', a Best Seller 17, a Sweepstakes Win 18, and a Successful Song 19. Finally, there exists a much larger, centrally-positioned, blocked-out portion 20 to represent the basic government. Each of these blocks 11 through 20 is appropriately labeled, with the lettering preferably bottomed to parallel the nearer edge of the board for the players convenience, as in the manner illustrated at FIG. 1.

It is to be noted that the board B is representative of an abstract time-event sequence rather than representative of any geographical situation and as such presents a distinct difference from games such as Monopoly where the moves about the board relate strictly to geographical positioning of the players. The total number of squares 10 on the board B can be varied and the different blocked-out portions can also be varied to increase or reduce their number, as desired, providing that the central government block 20 and a few each of the other types of blocks are retained.

A plurality of playing pieces, preferably from three to six, are used in this game and are moved from square to square in the play of the game as by moving about the governmental block 20 in a clockwise manner as will be hereinafter described. Each play piece 25 may be formed in a very simple manner, such as a button, or it may be more elaborate, such as the statuette illustrated at FIG. 2, the primary requirement being that each playing piece 25 be sized to fit upon a single square 10 of the board B and be readily distinguished from the other corresponding playing pieces. A group of statuettes such as that illustrated at FIG. 2 may be provided with different colored uniforms to provide such distinction.

A pair of dice 26 is ideally suited for controlling the moves of each player. The players must circulate about the board, making moves from square to square, all of which must be controlled and regulated in some manner with the ultimate purpose of each player reaching selected economic or fortune blocks as an incident of further play of the game. These movements, as in real life, are preferably erratic and are often limited to change. A single die 26 will permit the player to move from 1 to 6 squares and is ordinarily adequate for the play of the game as will be explained. It is contemplated also that other devices, such as a simple spin-type pointer, not shown, can be used to indicate in a random manner the extent to which a player can move during his turn of play.

Other accessories required to play the game will include various types and classes of cards as illustrated at FIGS. 4-7. Such will include cards for symbolizing value. These cards 27 illustrated at FIG. 4 will ordinarily be designated as money and will constitute one distinct type thereof.

A number of cards will be required to represent the several factors constituting the power of the country and protective factors later described. These power and protection cards 28 are to permit a player to acquire a definable segment of the countrys power or to give him .1 protective or aggressive position, and these cards are preferably classified within themselves as being of different types and different values as hereinafter further explained.

The cards illustrated at FIG. 6 may be called extortion cards. These cards 29 relate to the economic blocks such as the Press block 12. It is desirable for a player to bring about a situation where he may control the econom1c factors of a country to obtain revenue, either as a salary or through extortion of the same. Accordingly, the extortion cards 29 are set forth various values for these factors, there being several cards for each economic block, including not only cards which will enable a player to obtain money, but also cards which require a player to pay out money.

The card illustrated at FIG. 7 is a tally card 30 and one such card will be provided to each player or, if desired. a single card of this type may be used by all players in connection with the rules of the game. The tally card 39 conveniently divides the economic factors of the country. namely, the Army, the Navy and the Public, each into a number of comparable classes. The tally card also sets forth minimum requirements for a coup, that is, for play of the game.

During the course of the play, the cards 28 and 29 are to be drawn in a random manner, but it is necessary to classify the cards to some extent. For example, extortion cards 29 must be drawn only for the economic block they represent. Likewise, Army, Navy, Public and Miscellaneous cards 28 are desirably separated. Accordingly, a means for handling these cards is desirable. One suitable type of card dispenser is illustrated at FIG. 8 wherein the body D of the dispenser, a box-like member, is divided into four sections 31, 32, 33 and 34, each being adapted to hold one group or class of cards such as the Army, Navy, Public or Miscellaneous cards. Each section is adapted to hold a selected number of cards, with the cards being urged upwardly therein by a platen 35 and spring 36. The cards are restrained by overhanging ledges 37 at the top and sides of each section. A similar container may be desirably provided to hold the several cards attributable to the different utilities such as Press, Credit Agencies, Market, Internal Revenue, and Labor Unions, with each group of cards being in an individual compartment.

Although this game may be played in various ways, the basic mode of play will be the same. Each player will move about the board B, from square to square, in a clockwise direction; and will first acquire money cards 27, in amounts as will be established by the extortion cards 29. The player will then purchase power and protection cards 28. When he has enough power and protection cards, as indicated by the tally card 30, he may declare a coup upon the hypothetical government, thereby becoming a dictator and having special privileges such as entering upon the government property block 20. if another player has already become dictator, he may declare a counter-coup and assassinate or exile the dictator, with the ultimate objective of the game being for one player to eliminate all of the other players from participation in the game either by assassination or by sending or forcing them into exile.

The money cards 27 may be of various large denominations to aggregate, symbolically, several million dollars. enough to continue and extend the play for the designated number of players.

In order to play the game, there are conveniently provided nine or any other suitable number of extortion cards for each representative economic block. One of the nine extracts a penalty from a player; some call for payment to a player and the others set forth both a salary and an extortion price. Each extortion card will include instructions, and a representative arrangement of such cards and their instructions for the several economic blocks heretofore listed as follows:

PRESS value. A representative group of these cards and their notations is as follows:

ARMY POWER CARDS Instructions Newspaper needs $50,000 to keep publishing; Pay $50,000.

You are in charge of selling newspaper stocks, $50,000; Collect $5,000 if not extorted.

You got a job selling magazines, $10,000; Collect $1,000 if not extorted.

You collect advertising payments, $10,000; Collect $1,000 if not extorted.

Extortion price $75,000; Salary $7,500.

Extortion price $500,000; Salary 55,000.

Extortion price $200,000; Salary $2,000.

Extortion price $100,000; Salary $1,000.

CREDIT AGENCIES Instructions Your loan company has paid off the government and can charge any rate of interest it plans; $500,000 or salary $50,000.

You lend out $50,000 and get nothing back.

You lend the government money; go three times across government property.

You are the teller of a bank; Collect $200,000 or salary of $5,000.

$5,000. Extortion price $75,000; Salary $7,000. Extortion price $10,000; Salary $1,000. Extortion price $100,000; Salary $1,000.

MARKET Instructions INTE RNAL REVENUE Instructions You have been picked to collect taxes; $200,000; Collect $2,000 if not extorted.

You have been placed in control of Internal Revenue,

$500,000; Collect $5,000 if not extorted.

Internal Revenue discovers you have falsified your income tax; Pay fine of of your cash or $500,000.

Extortion price $50,000; Salary $5,000.

Extortion price $75,000; Salary $7,000.

Extortion price $10,000; Salary $1,000.

Extortion price $100,000; Salary $1,000.

LABO R UNIONS Instructions In the play of the game, it is desired that these individual groups of nine cards each be shufiled and arranged for play face down so that they maye be drawn without the player knowing which card he will receive.

The power and protection cards 28 will include various classes and may be desirably divided into four groups, the Army, Navy, Public facilities and Miscellaneous. Army, Navy and Public groups include 30 cards with six of each class. Each of these groups is desirably shuflled and turned face down so that whenever a player draws a power card he will know the type but not the You are placed in charge of collecting debts, $30,000; Salary v V Control of grain supply For- No. of cards 2,000 troops 6 jeeps and trucks 16 mortars 20 ground to ground missiles- 20 ground to air missiles...

Class No.

10,000 troops NAVY POWER CARDS For- No. of cards @mcowmwo:

PUBLIC POWER CARDS For- No. of cards 2,000 militia 7,500 guerrillas 10,000 untrained men, women and children.. 10 missile silos Control of missile factories- Control of three armories. Control of treasury Control of arms factory Control of clothing factories MISCELLANEOUS Type of card: No. of cards Assassination 6 Bodyguard 6 Depression 5 Inflation 5 Exile 4 Guerrillas, 5,000 2 Three to six players may play this game in the following manner:

The sequence of turns is first determined as by rolling dice and once play commences a single die is preferred to permit moves by chance from one to six spaces at each turn. Movements of the pieces start from the start block 11 with the players moving into the squares 10 as they choose. The palyer must keep his piece moving clockwise about the center block representing government property 20 and may not move backwards or retract his move. A move shall be from space to space, parallel to a margin of the board and not diagonally from one space to another. Whenever a player lands on an economic block, 12, 13, 14, 15 or 16, he must then draw one of the extortion cards for this block. If the card lists both an extortion price and a salary, he has his choice of attempting to extort a large sum of money and returning the card or keeping the card and drawing a small salary at each turn. Whenever a player reaches a fortune block, 16', 17, 18 or 19, he may collect the amount of money set forth therein. Only a player who has become a dictator may move into the government block and he may use it as a single square to facilitate movement across the board as he chooses.

Whenever an extortion card is used to acquire a large sum of money quickly, the action is accompanied by a risk. To represent this risk the player must roll a die, and if the number turned up is 1, 2 or 3, the extortion fails; the player must pay the bank the salary indicated and replace the card at the bottom of the stack. If the die turns up 4, 5 or 6, the extortion succeeds, and the player collects this price and replaces the card at the bottom of the stack. When a penalty card is drawn, the player must pay the bank the amount indicated and return the penalty card to the stack.

The money acquired by salaries and extortion will accumulate as the player moves about the board from block to block. When he has sufiicient money, he may purchase power and miscellaneous cards, each at a cost of $100,000, and, although the player will have a choice as to the type of power card or may choose a miscellaneous card, he will draw from a shufiled pile turned face down so that he may receive different cards of different value as a matter of chance. These power and protection cards may then be retained until he has sufficient power to declare a coup, which is set forth in the requirements of the tally card shown at FIG. 7. Naturally, the dictator will be in a good position to acquire additional extortion cards and power cards since he can move into and out of the government property block 20.

A competing player or aggressor may declare a counter-coup when he believes he has more strength than the dictator. To effect this play with an element of chance, the aggressor will submit a group of cards face down and the dictator must submit a like number of card face down, or all of his cards, if they are of a number insufiicient to match the aggressors number. Each may add and force the other to add a card until one calls the other; then the cards are turned face up and a count of the total of the card values each holds will determine the winner. Whoever loses, either the dictator or the aggressor, is penalized by losing his power cards 28, which are replaced at the bottom of their respective stacks. The loser goes into exile if the opponent can produce an exile card.

Likewise, a dictator is subject to assassination. Anytime a player, not the dictator, acquires an assassination card, he may lay this card down and declare an attempt to kill the dictator. If the dictator does not have a bodyguard card, he is declared dead and out of the game. If he does have such a card, it cancels the assassination card, and both cards are permanently out of play. The player may then be penalized for attempting the assassination, for the dictator may then show an exile card, and if the would be assassin cannot counter With another exile card, he is forced into exile and his power cards are lost. In either event, the exile cards are returned to the original stack for redrawing, in contrast with the assassination cards and the bodyguard cards which once played are permanently out of play.

If desired, a player such as a dictator who is in danger of assassination, may play an exile card for himself, but in doing so, he must return his power cards and may not acquire additional power cards. However, he may take his turn and acquire money but not cards. In order to return to the country and to active play, he must pay each of the other players, not in exile, a penalty of $50,000.

This general mode of play may be varied and modified considerably in many details. A player at any time may borrow money from the bank at no interest, putting up as security his power cards or hi extortion cards. The power cards may be mortgaged at 50 percent of their value and the extortion cards at 25 percent of their value. When they are mortgaged, they may not be used for extortion or in a coup.

I have now described my game and one mode of playing the same in considerable detail. It is obvious, however. that others skilled in the art may make various changes in the game, its apparatu and mode of play.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for playing a strategical game adapted to be suggestive of activities and events leading to the political control of a country, comprising:

a game board of a generally rectangular shape subdivided by markings of rows and columns into J. plurality of normal spaces with a central space larger than a normal space and encompassed by a distinguishing border;

a plurality of game pieces sized to be placed upon and within the confines of any selected normal space upon the board and each marked distinctively from the others;

indicia on said game board indicating prohibition or movement of said game pieces onto said central space;

a plurality of cards having indistinguishable form and appearance upon one side and said cards having different indicia on the opposite side; and

a tally card having indicia thereon, including indicia identical with said card indicia and indica indicating a particular combination of such cards.

2. A game apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein:

said game board is provided with secondary spaces comprising heavy-line, blocked-out portions disposed about and spaced from said central space and having separate identifying indicia thereon;

the indicia on said plurality of cards is descriptive of power assets;

said apparatus includes a second set of cards having indicia designating sums of money to be acquired by the players to purchase cards of said first set; and

said second set of cards is subdivided into groups having identifying indicia corresponding to the indicia on said secondary spaces.

3. A game apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the indicia on said plurality of cards is divided into groups representing power assets of a country, said groups being military power assets and public power assets.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,400,520 12/1921 Bugenhagen 273-13l 2,064,229 12/ 1936 Spiro 273134 2,128,608 8/1938 Goertemiller 273 134 2,211,297 8/1940 Bull 273134 2,450,829 10/1948 Hayes 273-131 2,717,156 9/1955 Nelson 273 134 3,025,063 3/1962 Magee 273-114 FOREIGN PATENTS 411,511 6/1934 Great Britain.

DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 22192; 273l48 

